Hinatuan "Enchanted" River, Surigao del Sur

An hour and 30 minutes from Tinuy-an falls is another sweet surprise nestled in the same province which apparently becoming more and more popular these days, both on the mouth and social medias. I on the other hand found out about this places on facebook and my first impression on this particular spot was PHOTOSHOPPED. I even skipped on it until a friend posted an album of this Hinatuan Enchanted River.

The habal-habal ride was very long and the road was quite harsh specially that it was raining that time. My butt and heart aches, seeing part of the mountains being trimmed to create a road (but I bet it’s about the limestone because for me the excavation is too large for the road they were saying). Good thing at the end of that butt and heart breaking ride is one of the best treat for someone who are willing to gamble and sacrifice for wanderlust.

Enchanted river owns and carry its name with pride and in no qualms I can attest that it is indeed enchanting. I was awed because I never have thought that the sights I saw on my Facebook wall were real. The blue-turquoise water, colorful fishes in the image of a river surrounded by a blooming green lush.

According to some folktales, this river was discovered a long time ago. Locals call it enchanted as they believed that it is being guarded by spirits or other beings. These beliefs came from some stories of sighting some paranormal events like the two ladies and a guy walking on the surface of the water and disappearing. Apart from that the locals also tell stories about the immeasurable deep of the river and the experience of being unable to catch fish in any ways which are both really unusual.

While the folktales is quite creepy, facts about enchanted river says that the river's deep is at about 80 meters. The river is connected to the sea which is few meters away, this explains the blue-turquoise color which is a mixture of land and salty sea water and the colorful fishes of different kinds. But for the tales that no one can catch them in anyway remains enchanting apart from the view.

Activities you can enjoy in Hinatuan Enchanted River:

Swimming: everyone is allowed to swim provided with a life vest.

Fish Feeding: every 3PM they do fish feeding which you can also experience.

Sightseeing and picture taking: both are best done during weekdays as the place gets very crowded and less serene during the weekends.

Basic Diving:

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Christeen is a 20 something Filipina, a student of life and a corporate employee who travels as she possibly can. Off from work, she's into crafting, fashion designing, taking photos, practicing yoga and telling stories from her journeys.